Child Sense: Tips for helping your child walk home from school

July 23, 2011

Priscilla J. Dunstan

Consider the way your child relates to the world when planning his walk to and from school.

Pick a route that is easy for your child to remember even if it may take a little longer. Turning one corner is easier for your child to remember than having to turn five. Find a neighbor child to walk with your child — they still get independence but there is safety in numbers. Walk the path home with them physically a number of times, and a few times walking behind without them knowing.

When you walk the route with your child, focus on the things your child will notice.

Tactile children will notice the feel of the pavement, the number of people walking by and the park where they play soccer. Use these factors as markers for them to know where they are going.

Your tactile child will tend to think they are ready before they actually are, so you as the parent will have to be firm. You will need to impress upon them the rules of walking without horse play. No running after a friend to say hello, no crossing the road to get a ball and watch when you cross the street. Giving tactile children a job to do on the way home, such as picking up the milk or bread, is a way of focusing them, giving them a land mark and also a “safe place” on the way home.

Visual children will need visual cues. Walk the path with them a number of times, pointing out various landmarks, such as a blue house at the corner where they turn left, a supermarket to show when they have walked too far and will need to go back. As you walk the path notice the people who are in their gardens regularly, often a nice old lady who tends to her roses will appreciate a hello, and will be a reassuring sight for you visual child to see as they walk home. Have them draw a map to keep in their bag, in case they get lost.

Taste and smell children will tend to be older than most kids before they feel comfortable to walk home by themselves and even then, they will prefer to walk home with a friend. Due to this child’s sensitivity and often shyness they can get easily get flustered when unsure and will feel uncomfortable asking for help. Make sure you have a clear plan of what to do, who to ask and how to call, if they were ever to find themselves lost. Teach them about backtracking, in case they get lost, to go back to where you know and start again.

Auditory children will want to avoid busy and noisy streets, and this is where they often get lost. If a quieter route can’t be found, explain to them that although it may be uncomfortable, it’s important that they stick to the path decided.

Notice the other sounds that your child will routinely hear and use them as reference points. The noisy car repair shop, the barking dog on the corner to the church bells along the avenue are all good reference points for knowing the way home. Auditory children, even more than other children, rely on their hearing so it’s even more important to not allow them to walk home using their iPods or mp3 players. They need to be fully aware and focused on the task at hand.

Put an easy-to-understand map in your child’s bag, with addresses and phone numbers, and make sure they know how to use their cell phone. Have them text you as they leave school and when they get home.